A record number of Black GOP candidates are running for Congress this year, Republicans say, a trend that accelerated since President Donald Trump‘s expansion of the conservative base in his 2016 campaign for the White House.
If elected, however, they won’t be welcomed to join the Democratic-dominated Congressional Black Caucus, current CBC members told The Washington Times.
The National Republican Congressional Committee counted 81 Black candidates running as Republicans in 72 congressional districts this year, a nearly three-fold increase from the 2020 election cycle when 27 Black GOP candidates ran.
NRCC spokesman Mike McAdams called the numbers “a record in the modern era” for his party.
Currently, three Black Republican lawmakers, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina are serving in Congress. This contrasts with the 55 Black Democrats serving in Congress and the 2 Delegates from the District and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Mr. Donalds, a first-term lawmaker, said more Black people are running on the GOP ticket because they are seeing more Black Republicans in office, shattering a longtime stigma in Black communities.
“They see me. They see Burgess they saw [Rep. Allen West of Florida]. They saw [Rep. Mia Love of Utah]. They see [Virginia Lt. Gov.] Winsome Sears. They see [North Carolina Lt. Gov.] Mark Robinson,” he said. “And what they say is, ‘You know what? Maybe I should step up, too.’”
It’s also because GOP officials like himself break up a narrative that Black people are duty-bound to vote exclusively for Democrats, Mr. Donalds said.
“They’re seeing the awful things that Democratic policies have brought to their communities, and they’re just not taking it anymore. They’re looking for a new way,” he said. “And so they’re turning to Republicans because we have the answers.”
Since 1871, when the first five Black members of Congress, all Republican, were sworn into the 42nd Congress, their ranks in the party swelled to as high as seven by 1873. That number remained steady until the beginning of the 45th Congress in 1877 and the number dropped to three Black GOP lawmakers in the Congress.
After Reconstruction of the South ended, that number continued to spiral downward and between 1901 and 1929 no Black Republican lawmakers were in Congress. After Rep. Oscar Stanton DePriest of Illinois left office in 1935, another Black Republican wasn’t sworn in until Rep. Gary Franks of Connecticut in 1991.
The numbers of Black Democrats in Congress grew steadily every decade since 1935 when Rep. Arthur Mitchell of Illinois became the first.
Black Democrats currently serving in Congress told The Washington Times that more Black Republicans would add diversity to Capitol Hill but also cautioned their political views could marginalize them among most Black lawmakers.
Rep. Danny Davis of Illinois said he does not expect any new Black Republican members to be welcomed in the Congressional Black Caucus.
“Now if they were to vote from time to time for issues that would be amenable and in the best interest of Blacks, there would be some welcoming,” he said. “But I don’t think they would. I’m saying, I think they would pretty much stick with the status quo.”
He added, “I think there’s an effort to recruit Blacks, but I don’t think it’s going to change anything, because there won’t be enough Blacks ideologically who agree with much of the Republican philosophy.
House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn of South Carolina said “diversity is great” when asked about the potential arrival of more Black Republicans on the Hill.
Wesley Hunt, a Black Republican recruited by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, last week won the GOP primary for Texas’s 38th Congressional District, a seat rated as “solid Republican” by The Cook Political Report.
Michigan Republican John James, who graduated from West Point with Mr. Hunt and roomed with him at the military academy, is another Black GOP‘er running for the lower chamber.
Mr. James ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2018 and 2020 against incumbent Democratic Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, respectively. Mr. Peters narrowly defeated Mr. James by 1% percent of the vote.
This time, Mr. McCarthy recruited him to run in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, which covers the Lower Peninsula north of Detroit, an area known as “the Thumb” of the Mitten State. Cook rates the district as leaning Republican.
Mr. McCarthy said the increasing number of Black GOP candidates “should have happened a long time ago.”.
“I think it’s fabulous,” he said in an interview. “We’ve got some amazing people who are running.”
In 2020, Mr. Trump picked up 8% of the Black vote, a roughly 2 point increase from 2016, according to AP VoteCast. Mr. Trump, who campaigned in 2016 on bringing more Black voters into the party, is endorsing several Black Republican candidates this cycle, including Herschel Walker for U.S. Senate and Vernon Jones for Congress, both in Georgia.
Gary Maloney, a Republican consultant whose Oxford doctoral thesis analyzed Black voting, said most Republicans want to vote for a Black candidate who agrees with their political views.
“More than ever before, Republican voters have African American neighbors, friends, churchgoers and schoolmates — so much integration has been achieved, especially in the suburbs, compared to decades past,” he said. “Culturally, I think Trump‘s strongman leadership style won new Black support in 2020. Whether that translates to long-term voting or Trump-like Black candidates is uncertain.”
Mr. Maloney, however, said the GOP “still has a lot of work ahead to find support and leaders among Black women,” and he said the party would benefit from a candidacy from somebody like Fox News Channel host Harris Faulkner.
“The GOP continues to lag among African American women,” he said.
A record number of Black GOP candidates are running for Congress this year, Republicans say, a trend that accelerated since President Donald Trump‘s expansion of the conservative base in his 2016 campaign for the White House. If elected, however, they won’t be welcomed to join the Democratic-dominated Congressional Black Caucus, current CBC members told The Washington Times. The National Republican Congressional Committee counted 81 Black candidates running as Republicans in 72 congressional districts this year, a nearly three-fold increase from the 2020 election cycle when 27 Black GOP candidates ran. NRCC spokesman Mike McAdams called the numbers “a record in the modern era” for his party. Currently, three Black Republican lawmakers, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina are serving in Congress. This contrasts with the 55 Black Democrats serving in Congress and the 2 Delegates from the District and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mr. Donalds, a first-term lawmaker, said more Black people are running on the GOP ticket because they are seeing more Black Republicans in office, shattering a longtime stigma in Black communities. “They see me. They see Burgess they saw [Rep. Allen West of Florida]. They saw [Rep. Mia Love of Utah]. They see [Virginia Lt. Gov.] Winsome Sears. They see [North Carolina Lt. Gov.] Mark Robinson,” he said. “And what they say is, ‘You know what? Maybe I should step up, too.’” It’s also because GOP officials like himself break up a narrative that Black people are duty-bound to vote exclusively for Democrats, Mr. Donalds said. “They’re seeing the awful things that Democratic policies have brought to their communities, and they’re just not taking it anymore. They’re looking for a new way,” he said. “And so they’re turning to Republicans because we have the answers.” Since 1871, when the first five Black members of Congress, all Republican, were sworn into the 42nd Congress, their ranks in the party swelled to as high as seven by 1873. That number remained steady until the beginning of the 45th Congress in 1877 and the number dropped to three Black GOP lawmakers in the Congress. After Reconstruction of the South ended, that number continued to spiral downward and between 1901 and 1929 no Black Republican lawmakers were in Congress. After Rep. Oscar Stanton DePriest of Illinois left office in 1935, another Black Republican wasn’t sworn in until Rep. Gary Franks of Connecticut in 1991. The numbers of Black Democrats in Congress grew steadily every decade since 1935 when Rep. Arthur Mitchell of Illinois became the first. Black Democrats currently serving in Congress told The Washington Times that more Black Republicans would add diversity to Capitol Hill but also cautioned their political views could marginalize them among most Black lawmakers. Rep. Danny Davis of Illinois said he does not expect any new Black Republican members to be welcomed in the Congressional Black Caucus. “Now if they were to vote from time to time for issues that would be amenable and in the best interest of Blacks, there would be some welcoming,” he said. “But I don’t think they would. I’m saying, I think they would pretty much stick with the status quo.” He added, “I think there’s an effort to recruit Blacks, but I don’t think it’s going to change anything, because there won’t be enough Blacks ideologically who agree with much of the Republican philosophy. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn of South Carolina said “diversity is great” when asked about the potential arrival of more Black Republicans on the Hill. Wesley Hunt, a Black Republican recruited by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, last week won the GOP primary for Texas’s 38th Congressional District, a seat rated as “solid Republican” by The Cook Political Report. Michigan Republican John James, who graduated from West Point with Mr. Hunt and roomed with him at the military academy, is another Black GOP‘er running for the lower chamber. Mr. James ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2018 and 2020 against incumbent Democratic Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, respectively. Mr. Peters narrowly defeated Mr. James by 1% percent of the vote. This time, Mr. McCarthy recruited him to run in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, which covers the Lower Peninsula north of Detroit, an area known as “the Thumb” of the Mitten State. Cook rates the district as leaning Republican. Mr. McCarthy said the increasing number of Black GOP candidates “should have happened a long time ago.”. “I think it’s fabulous,” he said in an interview. “We’ve got some amazing people who are running.” In 2020, Mr. Trump picked up 8% of the Black vote, a roughly 2 point increase from 2016, according to AP VoteCast. Mr. Trump, who campaigned in 2016 on bringing more Black voters into the party, is endorsing several Black Republican candidates this cycle, including Herschel Walker for U.S. Senate and Vernon Jones for Congress, both in Georgia. Gary Maloney, a Republican consultant whose Oxford doctoral thesis analyzed Black voting, said most Republicans want to vote for a Black candidate who agrees with their political views. “More than ever before, Republican voters have African American neighbors, friends, churchgoers and schoolmates — so much integration has been achieved, especially in the suburbs, compared to decades past,” he said. “Culturally, I think Trump‘s strongman leadership style won new Black support in 2020. Whether that translates to long-term voting or Trump-like Black candidates is uncertain.” Mr. Maloney, however, said the GOP “still has a lot of work ahead to find support and leaders among Black women,” and he said the party would benefit from a candidacy from somebody like Fox News Channel host Harris Faulkner. “The GOP continues to lag among African American women,” he said.